silver bell noun

Any of various deciduous trees or shrubs of the genus Halesia, native to N America and China, having bell-shaped silvery-white flowers (also called snowdrop tree)

silˈverbill noun

The name of three species of the genus Lonchura of weaver-finches, with a silvery sheen to their bills

silver birch noun

A species of birch, Betula pendula, with silvery-white peeling bark

silver bullet noun

1. A bullet made of silver, supposedly the only variety fatal to a werewolf
2. Any wonderful solution to a difficult problem

silˈvereye noun

An Australasian songbird with a white ring around the eyes

silver fern noun

Another name for the ponga

silver fir noun

1. A European fir, Abies alba, with shiny needles, green on top and silvery beneath, an important timber tree
2. A small Japanese fir, Abies veitchii, with notched needles banded with silver underneath

silˈverfish noun

1. Any wingless primitive insect of the genus Lepisma (order Thysanura), eg L. saccharina, which feeds on starch in wallpaper, bookbindings, etc
2. A silvery-white goldfish, or other silvery fish

silver foil noun

Silver leaf

silver fox noun

1. An American red fox in a colour phase in which the fur is black with white tips
2. This fur

silver gate see ivory gate under gate¹

silver-giltˈ noun

Gilded silver (also adjective)

silˈver-glance noun

Native sulphide of silver

silˈver-grain noun

Medullary rays in longitudinal section

silver iodide noun

A yellow powder that darkens when exposed to light, is used in photography, is scattered on clouds to cause rainfall, and has various medical uses

silver jubilee noun

A twenty-fifth anniversary

Silver Latin noun

That written by authors of the Silver Age

silver leaf noun

1. Silver beaten into thin leaves
2. A disease of plum trees

silver lining noun

A redeeming aspect of an otherwise unpleasant or unfortunate situation

silver medal noun

(in athletics competitions, etc) the medal awarded as second prize

silˈver-mountˈed adjective

silver nitrate noun

A poisonous colourless crystalline salt that turns grey or black in the presence of light or organic matter, and has uses in photography, as an antiseptic, etc

silver paper noun

1. Silver foil
2. (usu) tinfoil (sometimes with a backing of greaseproof paper)
3. Fine white tissue paper

silver pheasant noun

A white-tailed E Asian pheasant, introduced to Europe, etc

silver plate noun

1. Utensils, esp tableware, made of silver
2. Electroplate

silver-plāˈted adjective

silˈverpoint noun

The process or product of drawing with a silver-tipped pencil

silver salmon noun

The coho

silver screen noun

1. The cinema screen
2. (with the) the film industry (informal)

silver service noun

A method of serving food in restaurants, etc, in which the waiter or waitress uses a spoon and fork held in one hand to transfer food from the serving dish to the diners' plates

silˈverside noun

A cut of beef taken from the rump, below the aitchbone

silˈversides singular noun

Any small fish of the family Atherinidae, eg Atherina presbyter, the sand smelt

silˈverskin noun

The fine skin of a coffee bean

silˈversmith noun

A worker in silver

silˈversmithing noun

silver steel noun

A type of carbon steel containing silicon, manganese and chromium, and low in phosphorus and sulphur

silˈver-stick noun

A palace officer, from his silvered wand

silver surfer noun (informal)

An older person who enjoys using the Internet

silverˈtail noun (obs Aust inf)

1. A wealthy socialite
2. A social climber

silver thaw noun (Can)

Ice formed by rain freezing rapidly as it hits the ground or other surface

silˈver-tongued adjective

Plausible, eloquent

silver tree noun

A silvery-leaved S African proteaceous tree (Leucadendron argenteum)

silˈver-voiced adjective

silˈverware noun

Items, esp tableware or sporting trophies, made from or coated with silver

silver wedding noun

The twenty-fifth wedding anniversary

silˈverweed noun

A creeping plant (Potentilla anserina) with silvery leaves and yellow flowers whose starchy roots were used as food from prehistoric times

silver white see China white under white

silˈver-white adjective

Of a lustrous greyish-white colour

silver Y noun

A noctuid moth (Autographa gamma) with Y-shaped markings on the forewings

born with a silver spoon in one's mouth

Born to affluence

tree of silver see under tree

snow¹ /snō/

noun

1. Atmospheric vapour frozen in crystalline form, whether in single crystals or aggregated in flakes
2. A snowfall
3. A mass or expanse of snow
4. A winter
5. Any substance resembling snow, such as carbonic acid snow (frozen carbon dioxide)
6. Snowlike specks on the screen caused by electrical interference (TV and radar)
7. Anything white, such as hair (figurative)
8. A white-fleshed variety of apple
9. Linen, esp drying or bleaching (old slang)
10. Cocaine, morphine, heroin (slang)

adjective

Of snow

intransitive verb

1. To shower snow
2. To fall as snow or like snow

transitive verb

1. To shower like snow
2. To strew as with snow
3. To whiten, whiten the hair of (figurative)
4. (with up or under) to bury, block, shut in or overwhelm, with or as if with snow
5. To mislead, persuade, overwhelm or convince with insincere and complex information (N Am sl)

snowˈily adverb

snowˈiness noun

snowˈish adjective

Resembling snow

snowˈless adjective

snowˈlike adjective

snowˈy adjective

1. Abounding or covered with snow
2. White, like snow
3. Pure

snowˈball noun

1. A ball made of snow pressed hard together, used as a missile, esp by children
2. A snowball tree
3. A dance begun by one couple who then separate and choose new partners, and so on until everyone present is dancing
4. A drink of advocaat and lemonade
5. A round white pudding, cake, or sweetmeat
6. (ironically) a black person, chimney-sweep, etc
7. Something that grows like a snowball rolled in snow, esp a distribution of begging letters, each recipient being asked to send out so many copies
8. A mixture of cocaine and heroin (slang)

transitive verb

To throw snowballs at

intransitive verb

1. To throw snowballs
2. To grow greater ever more quickly

snowball tree noun

1. A deciduous flowering shrub of the genus Viburnum, eg V. plicatum, having dense rounded heads of sterile white flowers
2. The guelder rose

snowˈberry noun

1. The white berry of a N American shrub (Symphoricarpos albus) of the honeysuckle family
2. The shrub itself

snowˈbird noun

1. Any finch of the N American genus Junco, white underneath, which migrates to the USA from Canada in winter
2. Applied to various other birds that appear in winter
3. A person who regularly moves to, or holidays in, a warmer climate in winter (chiefly US sl)
4. A cocaine addict or user (slang)

snowˈblading noun

A form of skiing without poles, using short skis

snowˈ-blind adjective

snow blindness noun

Amblyopia caused by excessive exposure to ultraviolet light reflected from snow

snowˈblink noun

A reflection from fields of snow, like iceblink

snowˈblower noun

A snow-clearing machine which takes in the snow in front of it and blows it to the side of the road

snow board noun (building)

A horizontal board fixed above a roof gutter to prevent snow falling off in a mass (also gutter board or snow guard)

snowboard cross noun

A cross-country snowboarding race

snowˈboarder noun

A person who goes snowboarding

snowˈboarding noun

Skiing on a snowˈboard, a board, similar to a skateboard but without wheels, on which the user balances, guiding the board with movements of the feet and body

snowˈboot noun

A boot or overshoe for walking in snow

snowˈbound adjective

Shut in or prevented from travelling by snow

snow box noun

A theatrical apparatus for representing a snowfall

snow brake noun

A fern (Pteris ensiformis) with dark green fronds marked with greyish-white along the mid-rib

snowˈ-broth noun

Melted or melting snow

snow bunting noun

An Arctic bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis), a winter visitor to Britain

snow bush noun

1. A small evergreen shrub (Breynia nivosa or Phyllanthus nivosus), having rounded green leaves with white marbling
2. (also snowˈbush) any of several white-flowered ornamental N American shrubs

snow cannon see snow gun below.

snowˈcap noun

A cap of snow as on the polar regions or a mountain-top

snowˈ-capped or snowˈ-capt adjective

snow chains plural noun

Tyre chains

snow cone noun (N American)

A confection consisting of a paper cone filled with crushed ice flavoured with a syrup

snowˈdome noun

1. An indoor arena in which winter sports can be carried out all year round
2. See also snowstorm

snowˈdrift noun

A bank of snow drifted together by the wind

snowˈdrop noun

A drooping white flower of early spring, or a plant (of the genus Galanthus, esp G. nivalis) of the amaryllis family that bears it

snowˈ-dropper or snowˈ-gatherer noun (old slang)

A linen thief

snowdrop tree noun

1. The fringe tree
2. Any of several American styraceous trees or shrubs of the genus Halesia with white, pendent bell-shaped flowers (also called silver bell)

snowˈ-eyes singular noun

An Inuit device to prevent snow blindness, a piece of wood with slits

snowˈfall noun

1. A fall of snow
2. The amount falling in a given time

snowˈ-fed adjective

(of a stream, etc) begun or increased by melted snow

snow fence noun

A paling fence erected to prevent snow drifting onto a road, railway, etc

snowˈfield noun

A wide expanse of snow, esp where permanent

snow finch noun

A bird of mountainous areas of S Europe, similar to the snow bunting

snowˈflake noun

1. A feathery clump of snow crystals
2. Any of several flowering plants of the genus Leucojum, cultivated for their white or pink flowers that resemble the snowdrop
3. (also snowˈfleck or snowˈflick) the snow bunting

snow flea noun

A springtail living in or on snow

snow-gatherer see snow-dropper above.

snowglobe see snowstorm below.

snowˈ-goggles plural noun

1. Goggles for protection against snow blindness
2. Snow-eyes

snow goose noun

A white Arctic American goose (Anser or Chen caerulescens), with black-tipped wings

snow guard noun

A snow board

snow gun or snow cannon noun

A device for spreading artificial snow on ski slopes

snowˈ-hole noun

A hole dug in snow as a temporary shelter

snowˈ-ice noun

Ice formed from freezing slush or compacted snow

snow-in-summˈer noun

A white-flowered, mat-forming garden mouse-ear chickweed, Cerastium tomentosum or biebersteinii

snow job noun (N Am sl)

An attempt to mislead, persuade or convince by means of insincere or flattering words, exaggeration, inaccurate or complex information, etc

snow leopard noun

The ounce (Panthera uncia), an animal related to the leopard, found in the mountainous regions of Central Asia

snowˈline noun

The level or line above or beyond which an area, esp an upland area, is under permanent snow

snowˈman noun

1. A figure resembling a person fashioned from packed snow
2. The abominable snowman (see under abominate)

snowˈmobile /-mə-bēl/ noun

A motorized sleigh or a tractorlike vehicle capable of travelling over snow

intransitive verb

To ride on a snowmobile

snow-on-the-mountˈain noun

A N American annual plant, Euphorbia marginata, cultivated for its ornamental leaves which become edged and veined with white as the plant matures

snowˈpack noun

An accumulation of packed snow that lingers throughout the winter

snow pea noun

Another name for the mangetout or sugar pea

snow plant noun

1. A red Californian saprophyte (Sarcodes sanguinea) of the wintergreen family that grows through snow in mountainous regions
2. The organism of red snow (see under red¹)

snowˈplough noun

1. An implement for clearing snow from roads and railways
2. A skiing position in which the skis form a V, with the tips touching, used to slow down or stop

intransitive verb

(in skiing) to assume the snowplough position

snowˈscape noun

A snowy landscape

snowˈshoe noun

1. A wooden or metal frame, broad at the front and tapering at the back, with a network of thongs, strapped to the foot for walking on snow
2. A ski (obsolete)

intransitive verb

To walk or travel on snowshoes

snowshoe rabbit or snowshoe hare noun

A N American hare, white in winter, brownish with white feet in summer

snowˈslip noun

A small avalanche of snow

snowˈstorm noun

1. A storm in which snow falls heavily
2. (also snowdome, snowglobe) an ornament depicting a winter scene which can be shaken so that small white particles suspended inside move about like falling snow

snowˈsurfing noun

The sport of skiing downhill on a large single ski controlled like a surfboard

snow tyre noun

A soft rubber tyre with deep treads, designed to maintain grip in ice and snow

snowˈ-water noun

Water from melted snow

snow-whiteˈ adjective

1. As white as snow
2. Spotless, pure

snowˈ-wreath noun

A snowdrift

snowy egret noun

A small white American egret, Egretta thula

snowy owl noun

A great white owl of northern regions

not a snowball's chance (in hell or in an oven) (informal)

No chance at all

snowed in or up

Blocked or isolated by snow

snowed under with

Overwhelmed with a heap or rapid accumulation of